Without Your Sunlight
by liliedove
Summary: After not calling on her friends from the Labyrinth in years, her reunion upon calling Hoggle was not what she was expecting. "Sarah, his Majesty has disappeared, and the labyrinth is morphing into something horrid! You are our only hope of finding him!"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

I have never written anything for the Labyrinth fandom before, in fact I was never really a part of the fandom. I just took an interest in it yesterday while watching Labyrinth in honor of David Bowie!

I hope I can write a satisfying story, I simply wasn't satisfied with what the movie gave us (as I'm sure we all feel). Gawd Jareth is hot...

Anyhow, tell me what you think and I hope you can enjoy it!

 **-Liliedove**

* * *

Sarah Williams lightly dabbed her cheeks with a champagne powder brush. Replacing it with a wand mascara, she leaned forward over the sink counter, cursing only a second later when water began stretching across the bodice of her floral dress. A knock came at the door.

"Sarah? Are you almost done in there?"

It was Terry. Sighing in frustration, she looked at the door. "Just another minute!"

"You better hurry up, Jeremy and Todd are going to leave us behind!" Terry said in an agitated tone.

Glancing up at the mirror while shuffling through the bag, she pulled out a stick of pink matte lipstick. "I told you, just another minute!" Tracing the edges of her lips before rubbing then together lightly, she tucked a stray strand of permed hair behind her ear. Terry glared at her with her arms crossed as Sarah opened the women's room door. "See? Don't be so impatient," Sarah said as she stuffed her makeup bag into her small shoulder purse.

Terry began taking the school hall in strides while Sarah attempted to keep up behind her in pumps. "Look, this is our last school event before graduating! I don't want to miss the whole thing while you gawk at yourself in the mirror!"

"I do not gawk at myself!" Sarah snapped.

"Sure you don't. Just like you don't talk to those imaginary creatures of yours. Trolls were they?"

"Goblins, not trolls. But I haven't had anything to do with that since freshman year!" Sarah said defiantly.

"Whatever you say, Sarah." Terry sighed. "Let's just get out to the parking lot. Jeremy is driving his dad's car tonight."

The sour spirit between the two quickly disappeared as soon as the boys pulled around the corner in a bright red four-door sedan. With Terry sitting in the passenger seat beside Jeremy, Sarah slid next to Todd in the back. Giggling all the way to the Grand Henderson Hotel, the street lights began turning on one by one. Students were already filtering through the large arching doors by the time they had parked and pulled out their tickets.

"You see?" Sarah said smugly. "If we had been here sooner, we'd have had to wait in line to get in."

"Yeah but there probably won't be any empty tables left now." Terry grumbled.

"Ladies, ladies!" Todd said with a smile. "Let's enjoy our night, shall we?"

When they entered the ball room, the sound of chatter filled their ears. To hear one another, one would have to lean in closely. Sitting at a table in the back corner, the boys left them to go to the drink table. "Terry," Sarah said once they were out of ear shot.

"What?"

"Don't you think they cleaned up well?" She said with a raised brow.

Terry blushed when she looked at Jeremy's back. "Yes, they did."

"Do you think he'll kiss you?"

Terry's blonde mass of hair swooshed around her face as she quickly looked at Sarah in horror. "Shh!" She pleaded. "Don't say such embarrassing things!"

"Oh, c'mon! I see the way he looks at you! I can promise you one thing, he'll do it before the last dance. Or perhaps during the last dance, that would be the most romantic."

"Jeremy and I haven't known each other very long." She said as she played with her frizzed bangs. "If anyone is going to be kissed, it's going to be you, not me."

"ME?" Sarah said in shock. "Do you really think so?"

"Oh please! I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet." Terry said with a swat of her hand. "Haven't you two been seeing each other since last summer vacation? It's almost been a year, hasn't it?"

"Todd is just very modest. He wants the moment to be right. You never know, maybe he's waiting until marriage." Sarah said as a matter of fact. "I'm sure it'll happen someday. He does hold my hand, you know!"

Terry rolled her eyes. "Well, with that mentality maybe he'll even propose to you. He's going away to university, isn't he? It'll be an awful distance between you. If the Senior Spring Ball isn't the right moment, I don't think there ever will be one." As Sarah opened her mouth to retort, the boys returned to the table with glasses of punch.

The evening went by quickly, filled with fancy foods and fumbled dancing. As the end of the night neared, the couples split off to their own corners. Sarah led Todd by the hand out to the terrace overlooking a beautifully lit fountain. "Tonight has been so much fun!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's... it's been interesting." Todd said with smile and a slight nod.

Sarah turned back from leaning on the railing. "What's wrong?" She said with a frown.

Tod shrugged his shoulders as he put his hands in his pockets. "Nothing! Why would you think something's wrong?"

Sarah drew closer to him, wrapping her hands around his arm. "Well, you just don't seem excited."

"I'm just a bit tired is all." He said as he looked at the fountain.

"Oh, well... Okay."

What Terry had said earlier played over in Sarah's mind. She looked up at Todd's handsome face. She couldn't believe that they had been together for nearly a year. Her eyes then traveled down to his lips. She bit her lower lip, then dropping her gaze. It was silent between them for a while. She rested her head on his shoulder as he sighed, then looking up at his lips again. It was about time, wasn't it?

Todd glanced at her. "What?"

"You're quite shy, aren't you?" She said with a coy smile.

He laughed with a raised eyebrow. "Shy? What do you mean by that?"

"You know!" She said with a slap to his shoulder.

He shrugged back. "What was that for?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "You really are clueless, aren't you?" Sighing, she then looked deep into his eyes. "Well, now a days I suppose women can be the one's to initiate too." Leaning up on her tippy toes, she closed her eyes right before she reached his lips. But her lips met with nothing, and when she opened her eyes she was greeted with Todd's alarmed expression as he stepped back. Pursing her lips, Sarah's face contorted. "Why won't you kiss me!"

"Why should I?"

"Why should you?" Sarah gasped in disbelief. "Todd Walker! We've been dating for nearly a year!"

Todd took a couple steps away, pulling at locks of his hair at the nap of his neck. "I don't see what that has to do with it. It's my decision, isn't it?"

Sarah's face and neck became beat red as she turned away. "I suppose I assumed things then." Her emotions rushed at her like a raging river, tears involuntarily bursting through the seams of her eyes. She quickly wiped them, refusing to look back at Todd. She wanted nothing more than to go home that very instant.

Todd softened his voice. "Look, I'm sorry Sarah. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"'I'm going back to the ball room. Maybe Terry and Jeremy came back." Without waiting for a response, she rushed back into the hotel, her hands going up to wipe her eyes again. "I will not cry!" She said under her breath.

The table was empty when she returned. Throwing her hands up, she turned to see that Todd was shortly behind her. She sat in her seat, taking her purse in her lap. Todd hesitantly sat down beside her, not saying a word. As the minutes slowly ticked by, Todd got up and went up to the buffet table.

"This night is a disaster." Sarah murmured to herself as she glanced at him.

Terry and Jeremy soon returned, smiling broadly towards one another. "Sarah! Where'd Todd go?"

Sarah looked at her shoes. "He's getting more food."

Terry and Jeremy began talking about rugby, a sport Sarah didn't take much of a liking to. After tapping her foot and fiddling with the zipper of her purse for what seemed to be an eternity, she finally couldn't take it anymore and stood. "Where are you going?"Terry asked

"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well." Sarah said. "I think I'm going to go home now."

"Now? All by yourself? But it's dark out already!" Terry exclaimed.

"I'll be fine, my house is only a few minutes away from here. I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Sarah!" Terry called after her as she quickly left the room without looking back.

Throwing off her pumps as she entered the parking lot, she picked them up by the stem as she began to run towards home. The porch light was lit for her, and as she went through the door she ran into her step-mother.

"You're home earlier than I thought!" She exclaimed. Sarah walked past her without a word, fearing that the tears she had been holding back would come pouring out the moment she said anything. "Well? How was it, did you have fun? Sarah?"

"Not now." She moaned as she climbed the stairs up to her room. As soon a she closed the door, she threw herself on her bed and began to sob. There was a knock on the door.

"Sarah? Are you alright?" Came her step-mother's concerned voice.

"I'm fine, I just need some time alone." She said in as normal a voice she could muster. With her head filled with mucus, it must not have been too convincing, but her mother decided to let her be.

As soon as she knew she was alone again, Sarah cradled a pillow in her arms as she buried her face in it. Why did Todd reject her? Did he secretly hate her? The more she thought about it, the more confused and upset she became.

"Sarah? Why are you crying?" A small voice said from outside her door. The handle turned, and in came her little brother.

"Toby, what did I say about knocking?" She scolded.

Toby walked up to the side of the bed silently, then climbing up next to her. "Mom told Dad that you were crying. Why are you crying? Did you get a cut?"

Sarah clenched her teeth. "Why can't she just mind her own business!" She growled. She then let out a deep sigh, wiping the tears away. "You see Toby? I'm not crying. I'm okay now. Why don't you go play with your toys?"

"Will you play with me?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Not now, Toby. I just need to rest. I'm tired."

"Oh, okay." Toby said as he slid off the side of the bed. He then ran out of the room. Standing, Sarah went over to the door and closed it. She could never get any privacy, could she? Walking over to her vanity, she sat heavily and gazed at her swollen eyes and nose. It was times like these that she wished she could call on them. But she couldn't.

She gave them up when she decided it was time to grow up. No more Labyrinth. Everyone had told her that she was too entirely immersed in her fantasies, and after her trip to the Labyrinth three years ago she realized that she needed to get a grip on her life. Her real life. No more taking things for granted.

She sniffled, rubbing her nose against her wrist before resting her head on her hand. She had thought things were going great. She was getting good grades in school, she had a boyfriend, and she was about to graduate. She was becoming an adult! But now this! What was going to happen between her and Todd now?

She felt empty and alone. Who could she talk to? Terry was still at the hotel, and the friends that didn't go to the ball would already be asleep and it would be rude to ring them. She tapped her forehead against the vanity.

"Wouldn't it be nice just to talk to you guys again? Just for once? Maybe you've forgotten about me. I wouldn't blame you." She said quietly. It had been so long since she had called them by name, that it took her a few moments to remember them right. "There are Sir Didymus, and his faithful steed Ambrosius, and Ludo! Oh Ludo, I could use a hug from you right now! And then there was silly old Hoggle." She closed her sore eyes, soon beginning to doze off.

"Sarah, Sarah! Sarah! Wake up!"

Sarah sat up startled, looking around in confusion as she tried determining who was calling her. "Who's there? Hello?"

"Over here!" She looked in her mirror. Standing beside her bed was a short, ugly little creature with a leathery face and cheap jewelry hanging from every loop in his clothing.

Sarah quickly turned to see him with her own eyes. "Hoggle! Is that really you? Oh Hoggle!" She cried, running to hug him. The creature struggled for a moment, murmuring that he didn't like touching reunions or any touching at all, but eventually he gave in to her cradling. "Oh Hoggle! It's awful! I'm hurting so badly right now!"

"Well that's unfortunate, but you aren't the only one hurting."

"Todd refused my kiss!"

"Oh, well then I suppose he doesn't like touching either... Ah! But Sarah I cannot forget! Sarah we need your help!" He said as he squirmed out of her tight grasp.

Sarah wiped a stray tear from her face. "What do you mean, you need my help?"

"I mean that we need your help! The Labyrinth! It's in trouble!" He said with arms wide. Sarah frowned as he continued. "It's the reason why no one has been able to come when you've called!"

"I don't know what you mean." She hadn't remembered trying to call them over the past two years she swore she wouldn't.

"The Goblin King! He disappeared! And now, now everything is changing! It's horrid! Sarah, only you can save us!" He pulled a round object out of his pocket. "I've been trying to contact you with one of this Majesty's last crystal balls, and it took until now for it to actually work. It has already been so long, we need to hurry, or it may be too late!"

"I don't understand Hoggle, what's changing? Why did that King disappear?"

Hoggle shook his head. "It's too much to explain, you would never understand. Just come with me." Grabbing her hand, he placed it on top of the ball. In a blink of an eye, they were suddenly in a place long lost in Sarah's memories: the Goblin King's Castle.

They stood before an empty throne covered in a white film of dust. Webs were strewn over every corner. "This place... I remember it now. Yes! The castle! Why is empty?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, yes it has been for a long time now. Not many people can get this far into the Labyrinth anymore. It's dangerous out there!"

Sarah tilted her head. "I thought it was always dangerous."

Hoggles eyes grew wide for a moment before a patronizing expression came over his face. He huffed. "You thought it was dangerous then? That was child's play! Now that his Majesty is gone, there's no order! No laws! No direction! And the miasma, it's getting everywhere! The castle is the only place now that it cannot penetrate!"

Sarah noticed the sound of a deep rumbling coming from a distance. She slowly approached the King's over looking window where the rumblings grew louder. Placing her hands on the wide ledge, she gasped, leaning closer. The Labyrinth was covered in a thick, dark smog all the way up to the walls of the Goblin City. The walls were contorting, shifting, switching, continuously with no rest. With each movement, a puff of the dark matter rose high into the air, then spreading.

"So Ludo, and the others... They're out there? In... In that, smoke is it?" She whispered.

"I'm afraid so." He said as he took off his cap. "Not many can find their way out of the miasma at this point. It was just my luck that I made it here."

"Where's the King?" She asked.

"How should I know!" Hoggle scoffed. "That's what I brought you here for, isn't it?"

Sarah turned with a frown. "Me? How could I find the King if you can't?"

"Because the King doesn't want to be found. So only you can find him, isn't that obvious?"

"Why do you think that? ...Because he loved me? But that was so long ago! How do you know I can find him? ...I'm not even sure if I want to see him again." She added.

"Trust me," Hoggle said as he placed his hat back on his head while walking away. "Just shout about this _boyfriend_ of yours, and I'm sure he'll show up in no time at all. Now Come on! We don't have all day! You haven't seen the half of it!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you for continuing on with me! I'm glad people have taken an interest to it!

I don't know how often I will update, but I'm hoping to keep this story to a medium length with a fast pace. I haven't read too many Labyrinth stories but I'm sure this concept isn't all that original, so I hope you'll enjoy my spin on it!

 **-Liliedove**

* * *

Sarah felt rushed through the castle as Hoggle hobbled onward. He kept mumbling on, something Sarah began turning her ear from in favor of taking in the sights before her. It was never a particularly beautiful place, but now it was simply bland. In fact, the cobwebs added flair to the place. She had thought that a man as frivolous as he would have had a much finer attention to detail for the place he'd call his palace. She had always imagined it like the paintings she saw in children's books, only even more beautiful and fantastical; he was the king over mystical things, was he not? The things only seen in dreams? And yet the walls, floor, and even the ceiling were all made out of the same terra stone. It was as though it were thrown together on a whim, things like banners and other décor pushed aside for later but a project never returned to. The cold stone against her nylon covered feet was the only thing keeping her from wanting to pull her clothes off. With the lack of windows, a hot gust of wind tumbled through the room, kicking up the carpet of dust on the floor into her eyes. She groaned against it, pulling at the collar of her dress while she raked a hand through her hair to disperse the sweat gathering at the roots. She then jumped back with a shrill howl of pain.

"You better watch your step, the goblins didn't exactly clean before they left." Hoggle said with a glance over the shoulder.

"Well it's hard when I don't have any shoes!" Sarah growled.

Hoggle raised his brow, not pausing for a moment as he ascended and descended the stairs that ran this way, that way, upside own, sideways, and backwards throughout the palace halls. "And whose fault might that be?"

"Well you didn't exactly give me time to change." Sarah retorted. "I didn't see you more than a minute before you took me here."

"Always blame Hoggle, yes it's always my fault, isn't it?" He said grouchily.

"Oh Hoggle." Sarah sighed.

"But as I was saying." he continued. "I... I'm sorry I couldn't come. You must have thought I hated you."

Sarah blinked. "What?"

Hoggle jumped, then fiddling his fingers. "I mean, there was nothing Hoggle could do! It's not my fault that the King stopped using his magic for you, is it! Or will you blame me for that too?"

"The Goblin King stopped using his magic for me..?" She muttered under her breath. A sense of guilt struck her. Did Hoggle have that much faith in her that she would never stop calling him?

As they entered the Goblin City she found herself shading her eyes as they were met with the blazing light of the sun. Squinting, she dropped her gaze to the ground. The scent of something awful reached her nose. What it was of, she couldn't decide. It was not fire, not rotten food, not even the scent of the Bog of Eternal Stench, but never the less it made any desire for food vanish in an instant.

"Only his Majesty can fix this now! Why, if he were here he could fix it with the snap of his fingers!" Hoggle declared.

"If he's so great, why is he missing?"

"Because!" Hoggle began, only to choke on his words. "I... Well, because! We just need to hurry up and find him he can make everything return to the way it was. That way, Hoggle can go home!"

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "Hoggle... You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" While their time together in the past was brief, she could never forget the look he had on his face when she caught him in a lie.

Pretending not to hear her, he looked straight and marched on. After another moment, he put a finger in the air. "Ah! You know Sarah, I don't think I ever told you about the time his Majesty-"

Sarah rolled her eyes, then walking in front of him. "His Majesty" this! His Majesty that! Hoggle, what are you hiding?" She snapped.

"Why must I be hiding something?" He said stumbling back. "I'm just trying to say that his Majesty is powerful, but not. That's why I need you to find him instead of me."

Sarah put her hands on his shoulders. "And just how exactly do you plan on having me find him? This is a labyrinth after all." Todd's face flashed in her mind. She sighed. "I can't even solve my own problems, let alone yours." She let go of his shoulders, then walking a few paces away.

Hoggle reached an arm towards her with his mouth gaped open, but no words would come out. He shook his head. "No good talking like that. Maybe I was wrong. I shouldn't have brought you here after all. I should have just found myself a corner to lay in and wait for someone else to do all the hard work, that's what I should have done!"

"How could you say that, you coward!" Sarah said in disgust.

"Hah!" Hoggle pointed at her accusingly. "I could say the same about you!"

Sarah blinked, then clenching her fists when she accepted defeat. "Fine! I'll help you!"

"Who ever said anything about you not helping?"

Sarah growled. "Let's just get on with it!"

"Fine!" Hoggle sniffed defiantly.

"Fine!"

They approached the gates where two goblins sat at the outpost. They looked at them, the lanky one letting out a long hissing laugh. The squat one began slapping it's knee and then joined in with the other's laughter. "Oh, shut it and open the gate!" Hoggle yelled.

"He actually did it!" The Lanky One said to the Squat One.

"He brought the girl!" The Squat One said to the Lanky One.

"I suppose things really are going to Hell if she's here!" The Lanky One said with a snort. They then began laughing hysterically, waving their hands in the air and kicking their feet.

"Will you please open the gate?" Sarah said as she shielded her eyes with a hand.

"Open the gate? Have you gone mad?" Said the Squat One.

"Isn't the Pit of Agitations just outside this gate?" Said the Lanky One.

"Just open them already!" Hoggle growled.

"They want it opened, who are we to reject their humble request?" The Lanky One said gleefully.

"I suppose it's the righteous thing to do!" Snorted the Squat One. They broke into more laughter as they cranked open the gate. "Off you go!"

"Thank you. I think." Sarah said as she looked beyond as the door lifted. Everything seemed normal, for the Labyrinth anyhow. You saw the slope of the hill going downwards from the City, and bits of water thirsty plants speckling about towards the first inward wall of the Labyrinth. "This can't be that hard, could it?" As she took a step forward, her stomach gave out within her. Her ears were then filled with the panic screams of both Hoggle and herself as they continued to fall further and further down.

The next moment, Sarah found herself standing beside Hoggle in a tunnel dimly lit in red. She found that her mind was blank, and she wasn't quite sure what had happened the moment before. What were they doing? Where were they going? Her mind kept returning to one thing. "Hoggle! Would you stop standing so close to me? I can't take this heat!"

"I'm not anywhere near you!" He snapped. "Stop blaming me for your problems!"

Sarah moaned, placing a hand on her head. "I feel like my skull is splitting."

"Now that you mention it... So is mine." Hoggle groaned. "If only you would stop day dreaming and get moving! We need to find the king!"

"I'm not!" Sarah yelled. "Now hurry up!" She then began marching forward, going around a left turn, and then a right. As she pushed forward, the walls began springing branches this way and that, scraping through her hair and grabbing at her dress. "My dress!" She exclaimed. "I spent all my paycheck on this dress, and look at it! Ruined!" Tears began welling at her eyes. She pursed her lips.

"I can't find my bracelet!" Hoggle said from behind her. "How did I lose it? When did I lose it!" He paused for a moment, thinking in panic. His face then reddened as he glared at her. "YOU! You took it, didn't you!"

"What are you talking about!" Sarah yelled.

"MY bracelet! The one you gave me before! You took it back, didn't you! When I wasn't looking! You thief! How could you call yourself my friend!?" He yowled.

"Why did you bring me to this place! You're horrid! This... This!" Heat rose to her eyes. "IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Hoggle's face before her then began to blur. She heard him calling her name, but then everything turned to black.

* * *

Sarah jolted up at the sound of a loud knock. "Sarah? Are you planning on sleeping all day?" She looked around, dazed. She was sitting on her bedroom floor, and a gentle light filtered in through her sheer curtained windows. "Sarah?" It was her dad's voice.

Swallowing and feeling dehydrated, she cleared her throat. "I'll be out soon."

"Terry has been calling you." He said from the other side of the door.

"Terry..?" She raked her brain. "Oh! Terry!" The memories from the night before returned to her. The senior ball, the failed kiss. She felt a pit in her stomach. She quickly got up and opened her door. Her father gawked at her as she ran down the stairs.

"A little to tired to change into pajamas last night?" He called out.

She ran into the kitchen, greeted by her cheerful step-mother. Sarah brushed her off "I need to call Terry!"

"Well good morning to you too, though it's almost afternoon." Her step-mother said with her hands on her hips before returning to the dishes.

Sarah turned the rotary to the familiar digits of Terry's number, tapping her foot in impatience between numbers. Putting the phone to her ear, she dragged the long curling cord out to the living room where she could be alone. It rung. Her breath caught in her throat as she heard someone pick up the other line.

"Hello?" It was Terry who picked up.

Sarah released her breath. "Hey, it's me."

"Sarah! I've been trying to call you all morning! What happened last night? Why'd you leave?"

Tears began welling at Sarah's eyes. "Oh, Terry!" She moaned.

"What? What is it? Speak!"

"I tried kissing Todd." Sarah could hear a gasp on the other line.

"You did! …Well? How did it go?"

"How do you think?" She grumbled. "It was a disaster! He was disgusted! I could see it in his eyes!"

"Sarah!" Terry scolded. "How could you say such a thing?"

Sarah plopped down on the couch. "How could I not? How, Terry? I put myself out there and he rejected me! His girlfriend! He must hate me, I'm sure of it! He'll never want to speak to me again!"

"But Sarah, he was so sad when you left!" Terry exclaimed.

Sarah leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. "What do you mean?" She said with a sniffle as a shot of excitement ran up her spine.

"Exactly what I said! After you left, he asked where you had gone, and when I told him you went home on your own he seemed so down! He must have regretted not kissing you, I know it!"

Sarah sighed with a bitter laugh. "That's easy for you to say."

"You should apologize."

"Apologize? Why should I apologize!" She said gagging on her breath.

Terry paused over the line. "Look Sarah, I know you feel hurt but he's feeling hurt too. And you know how shy he is, he always has been rather reserved. You two need to make up before your stubbornness ruins your relationship."

Sarah sighed, drooping her head. "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

"Then stop talking to me, hang up, and call Todd. Do it! I know you can!"

"Okay, okay. Stop nagging."

"I'll see you Monday. But don't forget to call and let me know how things went!" She demanded.

"I will. See ya." The line went dead from the other side.

Slowly walking into the kitchen, she dialed the number she dialed nearly every night for the past year. She swallowed as she heard it ringing. Someone picked up. "Hi, it's Sarah."

It was his mother. "I'm sorry, but Todd isn't home right now, he's with a bunch of his friends. Why don't you try calling back later?" Her heart sunk. Was he avoiding her?

"Alright, thank you Mrs. Walker. I'll see you sometime."

"Alright, have a good one Sarah. "

She hung up the phone and then sat on the living room sofa. Letting out a deep sigh, she cringed inside. She had never felt so horrible in her life! Not even the time she had pneumonia could compare to how she felt now inside! She thought of Todd's smiling face, that silly grin of his when he thought something she said sounded funny. That image was quickly dashed and replaced by the look he gave her the night before. She could only imagine that it was only a matter of time before he'd come and break up with her. No, he wouldn't do that would he? Not over something so silly as that, no matter how awkward it was. Terry was right, she only had one side of the story. She would just have to wait and call him back again later.

Her mind then wandered back to the last thing that happened before she woke in her room. "Poor Hoggle... I should apologize to him too. I don't know what came over me. But how can I? I don't even know how I got here." She furrowed her brow when she suddenly realized that there was something in her skirt pocket. Pulling it out, she found a sparkling glass ball in her hand. She gasped. When did that get there? She then remembered how Hoggle made her touch it the night before, and quickly returned it to her pocket. Was she going to go back there?

She wanted to slap herself in the face. Of course she was going back there! How could she not go back, knowing things were the way they were and that Hoggle was left all alone? He must have been so frightened, all alone in that tunnel! She ran back up to her bedroom, pulling clothing from her closet. She certainly wasn't returning in that dress, that's for sure! When she took it off, she stopped to realize something: all the dirt and tares in it from the night before were gone. If it weren't for the crystal ball, she'd have thought it must have been all just a dream.

Pulling on a pair of jeans, turquoise jelly flats, halter top, and fitted jean jacket, she turned to the crystal ball sitting expectantly on her bed. "Here I go." She cheered herself, picking it up. She stared at it, seeing the light reflect through it and making a stream of light appear across her face. She waited. "Return me!" She commanded. Still nothing. She paddled her fingers against it's smooth sides, re positioning her standing stance. "Take me back!" How did Hoggle do it? She couldn't recall him saying anything, just him placing her hand on it. She sat on her bed, frustrated. What was she doing wrong?

She stared at it for a long time, digging through her thoughts. It then came to her. Sighing, she closed her eyes, picturing all the things she saw from the time Toby was taken from her. Taken by the goblins. Taken by him.

"Goblin King, I wish you would take me back to your Labyrinth, right now. Please?"

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in the middle of the maze. Dusk had settled across the tops of the walls, which were covered in dingy splotches of some sort of growth. The crystal ball was still in her hand. As she looked down at it, she felt herself become wrapped in darkness. A chill swept up her arm, her hairs standing on end.

"Sarah, beware." Purred a voice that echoed in the back of her memory.

Sarah quickly looked up, her eyes meeting an all to familiar stare. He walked towards her, dressed in black with a high collar. His pale blonde hair fountained down into it's usual mane. His expression, serious. She stumbled on her words for a moment as he approached.

"I've been very generous up till now, and I'm going to become something frightening if you don't stop now."

"I, I've been looking for you, you've been missing." She mustered. She jumped at the sound of a voice behind her speaking all to familiar words.

"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City. For my will is as strong as yours."

Sarah felt the words come to her lips, but when she heard them spoken she knew that they were not her own. She turned to look at the woman standing behind her. She was tall, and had wavy dark brown hair down her back. She was dressed in a beautiful gown. The woman spoke. "And my kingdom _is_ great! _You_ have _no_ power over _me_."

She was face to face with the other girl. Gawking at her, she lost her sense of self until she heard another voice unfamiliar to her. "Don't fret! That's just an illusion! The King isn't really here you know, and neither is Sarah."

Sarah turned to see a bird like creature sitting on the wall. She looked up at it, and then back at the illusion of the King and the girl. "What do you mean?" She said in confusion.

"Just what I said!" It cawed. "Happens every day at 13 o'clock."

"Every day at 13 o'clock..." She repeated to herself. She looked back up at the bird. "Wait a minute, where am I exactly?"

The bird cocked it's head to the side. "Why, don't you know? You should know this, you're the one who came here! You've wandered into the Secret Thoughts!"

"Secret Thoughts? I don't understand I-" Sarah turned back and looked at the very realistic looking Goblin King. "How are these a secret?"

"You really don't know anything for a woman your age." The bird said as it shook it's head. "What a pity."

Sarah was about to ask it what it all meant when she felt something shake her shoulder. She felt dizzy for a second, and when her eyes adjusted it became slightly brighter out. The bird was gone, and so were the King and the girl.

"Sarah! Wake up!" It was Hoggle.

Coming to her senses, Sarah realized that she was staring down at the crystal ball in her hand. As she saw a hand wave in front of her face, she gasped. "Oh, Hoggle! How did you get here!"

"Is that all you can say after leaving me in that retched place?" He said as he crossed his arms.

"Oh Hoggle I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I don't know why I got so angry, it was unlike me."

"Well we were in the Pit of Agitations, remember?" He shook his head, grabbing her hand as he moved forward. "We better take shelter before we can't see anymore."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you all for your lovely reviews! Guest, I so badly wanted to respond to you but I can't when you're not linked to an official account! :( (And it also makes me unsure if each guest post is by the same guest)

I hope you like this chapter, I had fun writing it! Let me know what you think, if it gave you feels and kept your attention! :)

-Liliedove

* * *

Hoggle led Sarah down the wall a ways before making her face it. Confused at first, she was about to question him when he pulled a door that appeared out of nowhere. "How did you do that?" She said in shock. She then suddenly recalled all the times he caused doors to appear. From the time she had fallen into the Oubliette, to the very beginning when he showed her the way into the Labyrinth, Hoggle was always making doors appear out of no where. Now that she thought about it, he had really been working for the Goblin King the entire time, under orders from the king to take her back to the beginning of the maze. Did he hold a special position in the Underground that he never mentioned?

Hoggle mumbled to himself as he jiggled the door handle. "That should do it." He said at last, pushing it open. "Hurry up, it'll be pitch black out any second!"

"But the sun is barely half way down in the sky, surely we have more time to-" Before Sarah could finish, she suddenly couldn't see a thing.

"You see? I told you so." Hoggle said smugly.

"Hoggle?" She reached out with both of her arms.

He yelped, then growling at her. "Watch where you're putting your hands! You poked my eye!"

"Oh!" She gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"Whatever you say," Hoggle muttered, his voice traveling away from her. "Hold on a second." She could hear the sound of him rummaging through something, and then a crash and a cry. "You damned- Ah! Here it is!" A small flame appeared in the air, illuminating every wrinkle on the dwarf's large face. "Come on now, get inside before you disappear too."

The walls were cramped, forcing her to hunch over. She coughed. Was this his closet? It was so musty! She could almost taste the mildew. Hoggle lit a few more candles, setting them on the edges of small, cluttered cubbies. It was indeed some sort of a storage room. She went over to the only somewhat clear spot in the corner, sliding her back against the wall until she sat on a pile of papers.

"Did you check to see if it's clean?" He said as he closed the door slowly, trapping in more of the light.

"What?"

"I keep that stack of papers there for my pet to... You know."

A disgusted look spreading across her face, Sarah quickly stood, smacking her head against the ceiling in the process. "OWW!"

Hoggle chuckled. "I'm just kidding with you! But you should've seen the look on your face! Priceless."

"Hoggle!" Sarah snarled. "How could you!"

"That's what you get!" Hoggle said pointing at her accusingly. "For leaving me in the Pit of Agitation!"

Sarah pursed her lips, then rolling her eyes. "Fine! You win. And... I am sorry for leaving you there, I didn't mean to. I ended up back in my own world."

"Well that's because you wished yourself away." Hoggle said as he crossed his arms. "So it is still your fault."

Sarah crooked her head. "What do you mean? That didn't happen the last time I was here."

"That's because you didn't want to leave. You wanted to get to the castle to save your baby brother, remember? If you wanted to go home, Jareth wouldn't have had to work so hard to try to make you give up."

"I suppose you're right." She said as she settled down in the corner again.

"I am right." He huffed. "Now, what was it exactly that you were day dreaming about out there anyhow? You were just staring off in the distance like you didn't have a care in the world. I had to yell to get your attention!"

"You mean when you found me?" Sarah sighed. "Well, nothing much."

Hoggle came closer to her. The look on his face told her that he wasn't satisfied with that. "Nothing much, you say?"

"Yes! Well, ...no. What I meant was, it doesn't really matter. It was if I were in a trance of some sort, and I had a dream that I saw the Goblin King, and had the same conversation I had with him the last time we spoke. Except it wasn't me who said what I said, it was someone else. And there was this bird like creature sitting on the wall, and it talked to me! It said that what I saw was an illusion, and it happens every day at 13 o'clock."

"Ah!" Hoggle exclaimed, his eyes growing large for a moment. He then put a hand to his chest and cleared his throat. "Ah, I mean... 'ah'. As in, I see."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you think it means? It happened right when I got back here, I was in the labyrinth for no longer than a moment before I found myself there before the goblin king."

Hoggle's brows nearly jumped off his face. "I wouldn't know anything about that! Nope, not a thing!"

"Hoggle, what are you hiding from me." Sarah said crossly. "Don't pretend, I can see right through you; I always have."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Yes you do! Please tell me!"

"Argh!" Hoggle then cradled his face in his hands, yowling. "Oh, now look what you've done to me! I've bit my tongue!"

Sarah sat up straight, her hands on her sides. "That's not anyone's fault but your own! Why can't you just tell me? I thought we were friends!"

"Friends has got nothing to do with it." He mumbled. "Can't you tell that I won't tell you because I can't? But if you're as smart as I know you are, you should be able to figure it out on your own. Jareth has always loved Sarah, but not usually like he loved Sarah. But he really loved Sarah. Everything here is the way it is because he loved Sarah. I don't know if he loves Sarah now, but if his love for Sarah made everything the way it was, and is, then Sarah should be able to fix it."

"You're making no sense!"

There was a loud rumble from the other side of the door. They were quiet, their eyes glued to the entrance. A second later, a loud crash was heard, and then another, and another, each one louder and more violent than the last. Hoggle put his hands over his head as small pieces of clay fell in small chunks from the ceiling. The little candle flames danced to and fro, and the loose objects in the cubbies clanked and creaked. Some objects vibrated and fell off onto the floor all together. Sarah could feel the vibration run up and down her spine, which left an incomprehensible sense of nausea behind. She moaned, then holding her head in her hands as she began feeling sick to her stomach. This went on for several minutes, but soon faded back to a soft rumbling until it couldn't be heard at all.

Hoggle threw his head back and sighed irritably. "Well, I've had enough of this! I can't stand that miasma always leaking through the cracks in the door!"

Sarah coughed from the dust clouding her lungs and nostrils. "What do you think that was?"

"Probably another part of the Labyrinth falling apart in the distance. Sarah, no matter what, do not go outside at night. Never go outside at night. Those who go out at night are never seen again; the miasma eats them for their magical energy. A girl like you would be a nice meal."

There was a moment of silence between them. Sarah found herself allowing her eyes to wander around the room again as Hoggle tried making himself more comfortable. "Hoggle," she said at last. "I still don't really understand what's going on here. I know that the Goblin King is missing, and it's because he's missing that things are falling apart. I know there's that miasma smoke, and you think I can find him because he loves me. But how did this even happen? When did this happen?"

He sighed, closing his eyes as he set his head against the wall. "I suppose now is as good a time as ever to tell you." Sarah leaned in, her eyes shining with curiosity. "Jareth was different after you left. He took his defeat hard. He's always been full of himself, as you can well imagine. He's not one to lose. So once you were gone, he became more reclusive, and oh! So moody! If you thought he was moody before, you know nothing!"

"So he's just been sulking like a, like a child?" Sarah choked in disbelief. "Abandoning his job because he lost at his own game? How selfish!"

"Not exactly." He continued. "Things were normal for a while, besides his odd behavior of course, but then problems started popping up. First here, then there, then everywhere you looked there was a problem with the magic! He said that he was fixing them, and he was but he wasn't as powerful as he was before. One day he went out and he took a very long time to return, and when he did come back he'd stay at the castle less and less until he one day he decided to not come back. Or, maybe he's dead and we're all doomed... How should I know?"

"Well that's comforting to know." She said dubiously. "And what happened to all those goblins after he left? There were an awful lot of them."

"Goblins?" Hoggle said with a tilt of his head. He then scratched his forehead. "What goblins?"

Sarah looked at him strangely. "What do you mean, 'what goblins'? What other goblins could I be talking about? You yourself said that the goblins were the ones who left the castle a mess."

"I did?" He raised a brow, a genuinely puzzled look on his face. As his expression showed his continuous strain for a memory, a small light popped in his eyes. "Oh, do you mean those handful of servants? There were a few, but why are you concerned about them disappearing? A lot of things have been, after all."

"I suppose..." Sarah trailed off, then even more confused than she was before. How could Hoggle not remember the army of goblins? If there weren't many goblins, why would he be known as the Goblin King? And what about those goblins who sat at the gate? An alarmed look wrote across her face as a thought came to mind: maybe this miasma was getting to his brain, causing him to lose pieces of his memories?

Hoggle was now laying down on his side, attempting to make part of the stack of papers into a comfortable pillow. The way he placed them made him look like a professional. How many times had Hoggle spent the night in the place because of this problem? What if she could have prevented all of this if she hadn't cut off her communication with him? The worried feeling in her chest quickly changed to one of apathy as she thought a little further; it was entirely possible that this was how he always slept. She couldn't imagine him lying in a pile of white linen plush pillows. Besides, this wasn't her fault anyway. Sighing, she tried making herself as comfortable as possible. The room was stuffy, and she could hardly think of attempting to sleep. Oh, how she wished she could take a nice cool night swim in the park pond right now! She then remembered a particular night when she and Terry were invited to go swim at midnight. The audacity of it! She still wasn't quite sure how they got away without any parents or police discovering their ill deed. Her expression turned down. It was during that outing that she met Todd. She felt a queasiness in her rib cage. What would he say to her the next time they saw each other? When would they see each other?

Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a deep growling noise. She huffed when she realized it was just Hoggle snoring. " _Great_ ," she thought. Still, it was comforting to know that he was there. She was still having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that this was happening. She was back in the Labyrinth she had put behind her what felt like a lifetime ago. And there was Hoggle, snoring right beside her. She never thought she'd ever see that creature again. He was very much the same creature now as he was the last time she was here. The Labyrinth, on the other hand, was almost nothing like how she pictured it in her memories, and not because it was falling apart. If she had awoken in the place of her own accord, as if in a dream rather than with Hoggle, she might not have identified it as the same place. Was it always changing like this? If it did, she wouldn't have known, she was there less than 13 hours after all. At least that's what the clock had said; it had felt a lot longer than that. By the end, she had felt as though she spent a portion of her life there, and the friends she had made had become so dear to her heart so quickly. Where was Ludo now? And Sir Didymus? Ambrosius? Why weren't they with Hoggle? ...Perhaps Hoggle refused to go with them on a dangerous journey. That sounded reasonable enough.

* * *

Sarah felt a slight rumbling again. Was it even safe for them to be in the storage room? What if the labyrinth changed so much while they slept that they might wake up somewhere dreadful? As she laid her head back on the wall, resting her eyes, she saw a spot of bright light through one of her eyelids. Opening them, she glanced at the door. There were bright flints of light streaming through the door cracks. But as quickly as she had seen it, it was gone. She sat up. Had she just been imagining it? There is was again! Her breath caught in her throat. "Hoggle, did you see that?" she whispered. Sarah glanced over to find him still soundly asleep. She slowly stood hunched over, drawing near to the door to peak out. The light was beginning to drift away. She opened the door, which moaned loudly on it's hinges. She glanced back at Hoggle again, still asleep. Sarah then poked her head out of the wall, searching through the blackness until she saw the light gleaming a little ways away.

She felt drawn to it. Not out of a simple curiosity, or any logical reason, but from a deep unyielding need to follow it. She closed the door behind her softly as she tiptoed outside. A chilling wind pushed her forward towards the light, hurrying her feet with every stride. The light was rolling, and turning, sending her around corner after corner. It was one twist after another, and if she had decided to turn back she wouldn't have been able to find her way back to the door, even with the light of day. There were whispers all around her, crowding her, pressuring her. Her mind began to turn in circles until she was nearly unconscious to the fact that she was running. And then, there was a dead end. As soon as her face met the wall, she returned to her senses. She looked around in panic, unsure of where she was or what she should do. She heard a crackling noise behind her, making the hair on her body stand on end. Her breaths became shallow. What was happening?

"Ah, so it's you." Came a familiar voice.

"Goblin King!" She gasped, turning around to face him. But there was no one there.

"And what might you be doing in my Labyrinth? Hmm? Come to steal more from me?" There was an edge to his tone. Sarah continued searching for the source of the disembodied voice. She stepped back as a crystal ball rolled past her feet, scattering a bright light as it went. It rolled up the side of the wall, and stopped beneath a crude face made from mud clay which hung on the wall. It's features were generic and simple, leaving no recognition to the owner's face. The way the light shown up on it reminded her of a monster from a horror film. "Well? Answer me!"

Sarah approached it cautiously, setting a determined look on her face. "Why won't you show your face? You used to always love doing that, appearing out of no where on a whim."

"Do you want to see me that badly?" He chuckled.

"Don't dodge the question!" She exclaimed.

He purred. "I'm not dodging the question darling, I'm simply stating an observation."

She was silent for a moment, pondering to herself. "I wonder what exactly has happened to you." She said quietly, shaking her head. "What a pity."

"Pity?" He spat. "I don't need pity from anyone, let alone a little girl like you!"

"I'm not a little girl!" She exclaimed. "And with the state you're in, I can't help but pity you!"

"Hah! You know nothing. And for someone who claims that I am dodging the question, you have yet to answer mine: what are you doing here in my Labyrinth? You don't belong here."

Sarah clenched her fists, stepping closer to the scowling clay face. "I'm here to save you."

The face burst out cackling. "And why would you think that you can do that? Foolish girl!"

"Because you love me."

He bawked. "Did you really think that I loved you?"

"You took Toby because you loved me. You offered for me to stay with you, and be with you."

"Oh darling!" He laughed. "You poor, poor thing! You believed that mere flirtation was love? Oh, now you're the one being pitied! How could you jump to such a conclusion? I always have wondered what you basis is for how you judge things: 'It's not fair!', 'Your Labyrinth is a piece of cake!', 'Oh, he loves me!'. What a foolish girl you are."

Sarah grit her teeth. "Just tell me where you are and I'll soon be out of your hair!"

The Goblin King's hysterical tone tempered to a bitter grumbling. "You're the one who put me here in the first place."

"What?" She furrowed her brow. "That's impossible, I haven't seen you in years."

He laughed again, then letting out a deep sigh. "Hoggle was right; you truly do take things for granted all the time."

Sarah quickly spread out her arms and legs as the ground began to violently shake beneath her. "What's going on?"

"You must leave now, and never come back." The Goblin King commanded.

Sarah's face snapped up to look at the clay face. "No! I made up my mind that I'd help you, even though you are an egotistic jerk!'" She put a hand on the wall to steady herself.

"Using big words now, are we dear? Perhaps you have grown up... A little." He said smugly.

The ground trembled again, only harder. "What's happening?" Sarah screamed over the noise.

"BE GONE!" The Goblin King yelled.

"Where's Hoggle?" Sarah demanded. "I can't leave him, not again!" She heard him sigh irritably as the crystal ball fell to her feet, then rolling away as bright as a star. "Thank you!" She yelled, then following after it.

Sarah's vision was disrupted from the waves of vibration, making everything seem jumbled about. She kept her sights on the ball, and only the ball, refusing to let the chaos stop her. After what seemed like an eternity, she felt relief flooding her chest when she saw Hoggle looking out the open door.

"Where have you been!" He yelled angrily. "I told you not to go out at night!" Pieces of the walls around them were crumbling, some pieces from the top, and others from the bottom, causing large sections to fall across their path. Sarah grabbed his hand, pulling him along. Hoggle stumbled from her fast pace.

"I chose a stable area to set up camp!" He exclaimed. "And you had to go and ruin it! It's because you left the room! You moved us!"

"I didn't know that would happen!" She retorted. "You never told me!"

"But I told you never to go out at night, and you did it anyway! How could you just ignore me like that!" Sarah didn't say anything. "We need to get to high ground," Hoggle said between coughs, the debris kicking dirt up in their faces. "We need to figure out where we are."

"How about that tower over there?" Sarah said as she pointed at a pinnacle in the distance.

"That'll have to do!" He replied.

As they sprinted forward, dodging bricks and mangled branches as they went, they soon found themselves bounding breathless up the winding wood stairs. "We better hurry, before this starts falling down too." Sarah commented.

"Oh, no." Hoggle said with wide eyes as he looked over the land around them. "I was right! We're in the oldest part of the maze! This is bad, this is very bad!"

"Why? What does that mean?" Sarah said in panic.

"Because," he said in a tone that told her she should already know this. "It's made from the oldest magic, so it is the weakest part of the Labyrinth! It's the first to degrade because it's so old and easily digestible for the miasma."

Sarah gulped, taking in the severity of the situation. The Goblin King's demand for her to leave replayed in her head. Maybe she should just wish herself away, right now! No. No! She couldn't do that! She pushed the thought away. "So what do we do now?"

"We need to keep moving. And try not to breath too much if you can; it won't be long before the miasma comes along to clean up what's behind us."

Sarah nodded her head. Grabbing his hand again, they continued running.


End file.
